2009's Biggest Breakout Celebrities

December 17, 2009|By Alex Clarke, American Heritage

2009's Biggest Breakout celebrities

1) Lady Gaga: Pop artist, fashion promoter, queen of the weird, yet cool. Her first single Just Dance dropped last year, but Gaga really catapulted to fame after she showed us her Poker Face. Chances of future success: 5

2) Drake: Canadian child actor turned hardcore rapper. His first single, Best I Ever Had, eliminated any doubters who thought he could not transition from the television to music industries.

Chances of future success: 4

3) Taylor Lautner: Twilight series New Moon star, unrealistic benefits of exercise spokesman. Lautner's starring role in the sequel to Twilight got teenaged girls and moms to switch from Team Edward to Team Jacob in droves.

Chances of future success: 2.5

4) Chris Pine: Captain Kirk in Star Trek. This year's reboot of the Star Trek series proved to be massively popular, putting this actor into many people's galaxies.

Chances of future success: 3

5) Olivia Wilde: After starring in the teen soap The O.C., Wilde dropped off the radar. After being cast on House, however, her career was resurrected as the bisexual doctor Thirteen.

Chances of future success: 3.5

6) Sam Worthington: Macho man actor. His starring role in Terminator: Salvation put him on the radar of action fans.

Chances of future success: 2

7) Kid Cudi: Rapper. His single Day 'n' Nite hit the top of the charts this year, attracting the attention of Kanye West and earning a Grammy nomination. Chances of future success: 3

8) Adam Lambert: Bombastic American Idol runner-up. He garnered the interest of millions while on television. After losing the title to Kris Allen, Lambert is raking in sales on his new CD, For Your Entertainment. Chances of future success: 3.5

9) Cast of Glee : Bringers of funny, choral gods. Ever since the pilot episode, which featured Journey's Don't Stop Believin' as the end-of-show-stopper, Glee has gathered an increasingly large following due to its talented cast of comedic actors. Chances of future success: 4